Elizabeth Perkins

Best known for her Emmy-nominated role as Celia Hodes on Showtime's dark comedy "Weeds" (2005- ), Elizabeth Perkins enjoyed a career of steady work in films including "Big" (1988) and "The Flintstones...
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Screen Gems
When David Mamet's play Sexual Pervesity in Chicago was adapted into the 1986 movie About Last Night, the self-absorbed Chicago twenty-somethings were played by Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Jim Belushi, and Elizabeth Perkins. In the 2014 remake, those parts are now being played by Michael Ealy, Joy Bryant, Kevin Hart, and Regina Hall and nothing about that seems unusual. It isn't that Mamet's play has changed much in the 40 years since he first wrote it, it's that some of the audience's preconceived notions of who can play what role have.Just as it happened with the reworked The Karate Kid that featured Jaden Smith in the title role made famous by Ralph Macchio, About Last Night takes a '80s story and adds some ethnic diversity to come up with something new. Well, there's a whole lot more movies from the '80s that are just sitting there waiting for just such a redo. Here are five stories that would work just as well in a more coloful version.
Sixteen Candles
Molly Ringwald playing the forgotten girl on her birthday, in love with an older boy and tormented by geeks in the John Hughes classic. Everything about the story still works, including the Chicago suburban setting that was ultra-white in the '80s. Disney Channel stalwart Coco Jones is the right age to play the teenager in love, and Zoe Kravitz would make a fine addition as her attention-hogging older sister. So what if Jones and Kravitz don't look alike? Ringwald looked nothing like her onscreen family in the original. In the all-important older guy role, someone like 90210's Tristan Wilds could provide the smolder. The only real issue would be what to do with the original's exchange student, The Donger. That was a role so racially regrettable that it doesn't exactly have a place in today's world.
Working Girl
In Mike Nichols' film, Melanie Griffith played the secretary that secretly takes over for her out-of-commission boss (Sigourney Weaver), proves a capable business woman, and wins the affection of Harrison Ford. The Griffith character would have to be called an assistant now, but otherwise there isn't much about the story that needs to change. Use someone like Kat Graham (The Vampire Diaries) or Tika Sumpter (Ride Along) as the underling trying to get ahead, maybe Halle Berry or even Gabrielle Union as the obnoxious boss and Taye Diggs as the love interest, and update the setting from a generic New York investment bank to the entertainment idustry. What Hollywood assistant doesn't want to push the boss out of the way and take over?
Flashdance
Sure, people remember the soundtrack but how many people remember the story? A steel-worker by day who dances in a bar by night, all while dreaming of making it as a legitimate professional dancer, and is pursued by her rich boss. Back then she wasn't really a stripper, but now she would have to be and she'd be trying to break into something hipper than ballet. The role could also be played this time by someone that can legitimately dance, since Jennifer Beals, the original star, was famously replaced by a body double. Someone like That Awkward Feeling's Jessica Lucas would work, or else there's got to be a Janelle Monáe back-up dancer that's ready to break out.
Caddyshack
Tiger Woods broke on the scene nearly 20 years ago, so a golf comedy set at a country club and featuring a diverse cast shouldn’t be any big deal. It's near sacrilege to many to consider remaking such a beloved classic, but a new version would be shooting for a whole new audience. After all, golfers of all colors are tired of reciting the same tired lines from the original. Start with Hart taking on the Rodney Dangerfield role of the rich guy that doesn't like the country club set. Imagine letting Hart riff on a bunch of rich people while dressed in ugly golf garb, throw in Saturday Night Live's Jay Pharoah as the wacky grounds keeper, and it just flows from there. You could have a who's who of comedy going... Godfrey, Chris Rock, Mike Epps, Katt Williams, Faizon Love… there would be a part for just about everyone. Heck, even Eddie Murphy might be convinced to do the Judge Smails role that Ted Knight made famous. That would be top notch.
Three Men and a Baby
Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg were three well-off bachelors sharing a fabulous midtown Manhattan apartment that have their lives interrupted by a baby being dropped off at their doorstep. The idea of guys taking care of babies continues to be played for laughs, most recently in the sitcom Guys with Kids. What has been missing since Three Men is the angle of the guys being rich, Type A personalities. Take Jesse L. Martin, Tyler Perry and Damon Wayans Jr., move the setting to Hollywood, make them all successful and sharing a Charlie Sheen-type playpen, and then let a baby screw up their lives. It's comedy gold.
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Scandal star Jeff Perry has launched a Kickstarter.com campaign to bring a real-life murder story to the big screen. Perry was turned on to a script based on tragic Ron Moore's life by actor pal Cullen Douglas, and now he's trying to raise funds to make a film about his life.
Moore's son Aaron shot his mother and sister before turning the gun on himself in 1996.
Perry tells TheWrap.com, "I didn't know of this occurrence, but it reverberates through dozens of occurrences you and I could recount from the last two years of newspapers.
"This is asking the question: how do humans ever find the ability to breathe again, live again and, in Ron's case, heal to the point of having a real life and hope and love?"
Moore was working with Douglas on a book about the tragedy, but the two decided his story would make a good movie.
Douglas, who will star in the film, worked with Perry to enlist his casting director wife Linda Lowy, as well as actors Elizabeth Perkins and KaDee Strickland for the movie.
However, money remains the biggest obstacle for the filmmakers, so they have turned to the fundraising website to raise $500,000 (GBP330,300).

ABC's all-too-relatable sitcom How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) has been a long time coming. The show — which stars Sarah Chalke (Scrubs) as an economically depressed single mother who reluctantly moves home with her parents — finished filming in November of 2012, and it will finally premiere tonight at 9:30PM. But push backs don't mean you shouldn't give this one a shot — the comedic talents of Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond), Elizabeth Perkins (Weeds), and Chalke make this quirky com a worthwhile companion to Modern Family and Suburgatory.
RELATED: Sarah Chalke Relives Her 'Most Challenging' Heartache in 'Grey's Anatomy'
Hollywood.com caught up with all three stars at an ABC press tour a few months back, and we had an... interesting time. A word of advice: Never let Brad Garrett know that your little brother currently lives at home with his parents. Because as much as you try to change the topic, he will not stop humiliating the poor kid for s**ts and giggles. Check it out below, as well as our far tamer chat with Chalke:
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[Photo Credit: ABC]
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What do Eddie Murphy, Bette Midler, Paul Newman, and Angie Dickinson have in common? No, they all haven't been at the same party at Brett Ratner's house. They are all winners of a Golden Globe. No, Murphy didn't get one for Pluto Nash he got one in 1982 as the New Star of the Year. The what now?
The Hollywood Foreign Press Agency started giving out the Most Promising Newcomer award in 1948, four years after their inception, to the person they thought was going to be hottest new thing to take Hollywood. The first winners were Richard Widmark and Lois Maxwell, people your grandparents might not even remember. From 1954 to 1965 the award was given out to three to four men and women who the European journalists thought were going to take the world by storm. In 1966 the award switched again and went to an actor and actress for a specific movie and, possibly because so many newcomers didn't show any promise, was renamed. The first winners were Robert Redford for Inside Daisy Clover (I'm sure he was!) and Elizabeth Hartman for A Patch of Blue.
Those first winners highlight exactly the problem with this specific category: more often than not the winners wound up being duds. Sure Robert Redford is one of the biggest stars in the world but Elizabeth Hartman? Let's look at 1969 Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey were given a pair of trophies for their portrayal of Romeo &amp; Juliet. Whiting retired from films by the mid-'70s and Hussey went on to star in some crappy horror films and then become a crazy agorophobic who had a hard time leaving the house. These are your New Stars of the Year, ladies in gentleman.
By 1983 the Globes were sick of giving this award to turkeys and gave out the final salutes in the category to Ben Kinglsey and Sandahl Bergman. All in all, the awards have a pretty lousy track record. Of the 59 actors and 58 actresses given the honor, I count only 17 actors (Richard Burton, Anthony Perkins, Paul Newman, James Garner, George Hamilton, Warren Beatty, Terence Stamp, Peter O'Tool, Omar Sharif, Albert Finney, Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, James Earl Jones, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Eddie Murphy, and Ben Kingsley) and 14 actresses (Shirley MacLaine, Natalie Wood, Jayne Mansfield, Sandra Dee, Angie Dickinson, Jane Fonda, Ann-Margret, Patty Duke, Mia Farrow, Tatum O'Neal, Jessica Walter, Diana Ross, Jessica Lange, and Bette Midler) who achieved any sort of lasting modicum of celebrity (gauged by, well, whether or not I know who the heck they are). That's a 28% and 24% success rate predicting the promisenessness of newcomers. You have better odds playing Scratch-a-Millions from your local lottery system.
I reached out to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for a comment on why the category was struck from the record and if they ever hope to bring it back. They didn't return my request for comment. They're probably still embarrassed about just how lousy their crystal ball is.
Follow Brian Moylan on Twitter @BrianJMoylan
[Photo Credit: Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty Images]
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“Agrestic: The best of the bestic!”
Who doesn’t remember that amazing town slogan once uttered by City Councilor Doug Wilson (Kevin Nealon)? All right, Weeds fans, it’s time to think back eight years ago to the very first season of Showtime's chronic-themed comedy. Grab your designer gym bag, pick up a frozen coffee treat and hop on your golf carts, because the Botwins are heading back to Agrestic!
Hollywood.comcaught up with the mastermind of marijuana — creator Jenji Kohan — at the TCA panel on Monday in Los Angeles to get the scoop on the show’s final episodes. After gifting the entire ballroom of reporters with an official Weeds joint (it was just rosemary, people!) Kohan spilled tons of details on the show’s 100th episode.
“The 100th episode is a return to Agrestic,” Kohan tells a small group with a smile. When asked if Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) and co. would be moving back to the west coast, Kohan was quick to clarify. “It’s a visit,” she said. “It was a treat, it was a chance to go back and it was our reunion.”
Here’s a mini history lesson for those who are not quite so up-to-date on their fake Southern California towns: when the series began, the Botwin family lived in a swanky gated community called Agrestic, which was packed with Range Rovers, Costcos and country clubs. In 2007 Agrestic was forced to merge with a new development called Majestic; however, none of the name disputes mattered when the town mysteriously burnt to the ground later that year.
From Agrestic, to Majestic, to a giant wave of flames, many fans have been curious to know what happened to the upper-class community. Kohan reveals with a laugh, “Well, it’s now Regrestic!” Oh, we’re loving the new name, but we’d love it even more if we knew that our favorite suburbanites would be making cameos during the Botwin visit.
The showrunner explains that this last season is filled with a lot of “little Easter eggs” from earlier seasons as a big thank you to the fans. Kohan says, “We wanted to bring everyone we could back and everyone who said 'yes,' we brought back. It’s a trip down memory lane and it’s lined with all the best characters from the past.” Please excuse us while we hyperventilate with excitement!
With the season coming to an end, fans desperately want to to know if the relationship status between Nancy and Andy (Justin Kirk) will be addressed. Although the two have never fully become an item, their spark and sexual tension is something that many ‘Nandy’ shippers have been rooting for since Season 1. Kohan confirms that this will “definitely” be addressed in the 100th episode. “We thought, we’ve gone a hundred, let’s address this."
To dig a little deeper, we chatted with Justin Kirk, who exclusively told us that Nandy fans will get their answers. Kirk explains, “[It’ll be] wildly satisfying for people who have watched the show the from beginning. Old friends, things happening, it’s just nice, it’s really nice.”
Weeds is now one of the rare cable TV shows to have hit the 100th episode mark. The episode, entitled “Good Willing And The Creek Don’t Rise,” is the 11th episode of the season and is set to air September 11 at 10 PM ET/PT on Showtime.
Are you excited for the Botwins to return to Agrestic? Think that Nancy and Andy should end up together? Shout out your thoughts in the comments below!
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[Photo Credit: Showtime]
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NBC recently announced its lineup of shows for the 2012-2013 season, and now ABC is unveiling its nine new shows getting the green light. The shows, which are set to air on the Walt Disney Company's network, include everything from a comedy starring Reba McEntire to a drama series from The Shield's Shawn Ryan. Here is a rundown of what you can expect.
Malibu Country Starring Reba McEntire
Sounding very similar to her 2001 CW series, Reba, Malibu Country stars Reba McEntire who is left to raise her kids after her husband turns out to be cheating on her. In the ABC comedy, she leaves behind her hometown of Nashville and takes her kids and her mom, played by Lily Tomlin, to California where she will attempt to resurrect her signing career. McEntire is executive producer of the series which also features Sara Rue, Julietta Angelo, Justin Prentice, Jai Rodriguez, and Owen Teague.
Last Resort Starring Andre Braugher
From The Shield's Shawn Ryan comes a nuclear drama series about a U.S. submarine crew who are on the run after refusing orders to launch their missiles. The team takes refuge on an island where they try to declare themselves as a nuclear nation. Felicity's Scott Speedman, Autumn Reeser, Daisy Betts, and Daniel Lissing also star.
How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life Starring Sarah Chalke
In a show that should have been called TMI, Sarah Chalke plays the lead in the comedy about a recently divorced single mom who moves back home to live with her mother and father — two people who don't know the definition of the word boundaries. The series is based on the life of creator Claudia Lonow (of Accidentally on Purpose) and features Elizabeth Perkins and Brad Garrett as Polly's parents.
Nashville Starring Connie Britton
Not to be confused with Malibu Country, this hour-long series centers on Connie Britton, who plays a Nashville music star whose career is on the decline, and Heroes' Hayden Panettiere as an up-and-coming singer. The two battle it out on and off the stage in a series of schemes and backstabbing so cruel it would make Taylor Swift cry. Eric Close, Powers Boothe, Jonathan Jackson, Robert Wisdom, Sam Palladio, Charles Esten, and Clare Bowen also star.
Family Tools Starring Kyle Bornheimer
In Family Tools (previously Comeback Jack, Red Van Man, White Van Man) Kyle Bornheimer plays Jack Shea, the unluckiest guy you'll ever meet. After a string of failed careers — he left the Army after accidentally shooting someone, and left the Police Academy after accidentally shooting himself — Shea heads home to take over the family handyman business after his dad is diagnosed with a heart condition and forced to hang up his tool belt. Offering advice from a safe distance is his Aunt Terry (played by Leah Remini). The ensemble comedy is from Bobby Bowman (Raising Hope, My Name Is Earl, Year Dear, Family Guy) and Mark Gordon (Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds).
Zero Hour Starring Anthony Edwards
ER's Anthony Edwards returns to the small screen to star as Hank Foley in this thrilling series. He plays a man who spent 20 years solving conspiracies as the editor of Modern Skeptic magazine, only to find himself in the middle of one of the most intriguing conspiracies in human history. His wife — who gets the drama started when she is kidnapped from her antique clock shop — is played by The Real World's Jacinda Barrett.
666 Park Ave.
Based on the book by Gabriella Pierce, this sci-fi drama takes place in an apartment building most New Yorkers would die for. Though careful what you wish for. This Upper East Side building features a string of real-life characters, played by Dave Annable, Rachael Taylor, Lost's Terry O'Quinn, and Vanessa Williams — as well as a cast of supernatural forces, which endanger the lives of everyone in the building. This sure-to-scare series is from Alloy Entertainment (The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl).
Red Widow
In a new twist on The Sopranos, Red Widow (previously Penoza) features an ordinary California housewife (played by Radha Mitchell) who enters the family business of organized crime after her husband is brutally assassinated. No longer able to deny what her family does for a living, she delves head-first into the risky business in order to protect her family. The hour-long thriller is penned by Melissa Rosenberg, screenwriter of the Twilight franchise.
Neighbors
Everyone's neighbors are a little weird, but the residents of this gated New Jersey community are out of this world. Literally. When the Weavers (played by Jami Gertz and Lenny Venito) move their three kids to an exclusive part of town, they quickly realize that their fellow residents are actually aliens. This new comedy costars Isabella Cramp, Clara Mamet, and Max Charles.
[Hollywood Reporter]
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In This Means War – a stylish action/rom-com hybrid from director McG – Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) and Chris Pine (Star Trek) star as CIA operatives whose close friendship is strained by the fires of romantic rivalry. Best pals FDR (Pine) and Tuck (Hardy) are equally accomplished at the spy game but their fortunes diverge dramatically in the dating realm: FDR (so nicknamed for his obvious resemblance to our 32nd president) is a smooth-talking player with an endless string of conquests while Tuck is a straight-laced introvert whose love life has stalled since his divorce. Enter Lauren (Reese Witherspoon) a pretty plucky consumer-products evaluator who piques both their interests in separate unrelated encounters. Tuck meets her via an online-dating site FDR at a video-rental store. (That Lauren is tech-savvy enough to date online but still rents movies in video stores is either a testament to her fascinating mix of contradictions or more likely an example of lazy screenwriting.)
When Tuck and FDR realize they’re pursuing the same girl it sparks their respective competitive natures and they decide to make a friendly game of it. But what begins as a good-natured rivalry swiftly devolves into romantic bloodsport with both men using the vast array of espionage tools at their disposal – from digital surveillance to poison darts – to gain an edge in the battle for Lauren’s affections. If her constitutional rights happen to be violated repeatedly in the process then so be it.
Lauren for her part remains oblivious to the clandestine machinations of her dueling suitors and happily basks in the sudden attention from two gorgeous men. Herein we find the Reese Witherspoon Dilemma: While certainly desirable Lauren is far from the irresistible Helen of Troy type that would inspire the likes of Tuck and FDR to risk their friendship their careers and potential incarceration for. At several points in This Means War I found myself wondering if there were no other peppy blondes in Los Angeles (where the film is primarily set) for these men to pursue. Then again this is a film that wishes us to believe that Tom Hardy would have trouble finding a date so perhaps plausibility is not its strong point.
When Lauren needs advice she looks to her boozy foul-mouthed best friend Trish (Chelsea Handler). Essentially an extension of Handler’s talk-show persona – an acquired taste if there ever was one – Trish’s dialogue consists almost exclusively of filthy one-liners delivered in rapid-fire succession. Handler does have some choice lines – indeed they’re practically the centerpiece of This Means War’s ad campaign – but the film derives the bulk of its humor from the outrageous lengths Tuck and FDR go to sabotage each others’ efforts a raucous game of spy-versus-spy that carries the film long after Handler’s shtick has grown stale.
Business occasionally intrudes upon matters in the guise of Heinrich (Til Schweiger) a Teutonic arms dealer bent on revenge for the death of his brother. The subplot is largely an afterthought existing primarily as a means to provide third-act fireworks – and to allow McGenius an outlet for his ADD-inspired aesthetic proclivities. The film’s action scenes are edited in such a manic quick-cut fashion that they become almost laughably incoherent. In fairness to McG he does stage a rather marvelous sequence in the middle of the film in which Tuck and FDR surreptitiously skulk about Lauren's apartment unaware of each other's presence carefully avoiding detection by Lauren who grooves absentmindedly to Montel Jordan's "This Is How We Do It." The whole scene unfolds in one continuous take – or is at least craftily constructed to appear as such – captured by one very agile steadicam operator.
Whatever his flaws as a director McG is at least smart enough to know how much a witty script and appealing leads can compensate for a film’s structural and logical deficiencies. He proved as much with Charlie’s Angels a film that enjoys a permanent spot on many a critic’s Guilty Pleasures list and does so again with This Means War. The film coasts on the chemistry of its three co-stars and only runs into trouble when the time comes to resolve its romantic competition which by the end has driven its male protagonists to engage in all manner of underhanded and duplicitous activities. This Means War being a commercial film – and likely an expensive one at that – Witherspoon's heroine is mandated to make a choice and McG all but sidesteps the whole thorny matter of Tuck and FDR’s unwavering dishonesty not to mention their craven disregard for her privacy. (They regularly eavesdrop on her activities.) For all their obvious charms the truth is that neither deserves Lauren – or anything other than a lengthy jail sentence for that matter.
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Last year director Garry Marshall hit upon a devilishly canny approach to the romantic comedy. A more polished refinement of Hal Needham’s experimental Cannonball Run method it called for assembling a gaggle of famous faces from across the demographic spectrum and pairing them with a shallow day-in-the-life narrative packed with gobs of gooey sentiment. A cynical strategy to be sure but one that paid handsome dividends: Valentine’s Day earned over $56 million in its opening weekend surpassing even the rosiest of forecasts. Buoyed by the success Marshall and his screenwriter Katherine Fugate hastily retreated to the bowels of Hades to apply their lucrative formula to another holiday historically steeped in romantic significance and New Year’s Eve was born.
Set in Manhattan on the last day of the year New Year’s Eve crams together a dozen or so canned scenarios into one bloated barely coherent mass of cliches. As before Marshall’s recruited an impressive ensemble of minions to do his unholy bidding including Oscar winners Hilary Swank Halle Berry and Robert De Niro the latter luxuriating in a role that didn’t require him to get out of bed. High School Musical’s Zac Efron is paired up with ‘80s icon Michelle Pfeiffer – giving teenage girls and their fathers something to bond over – while Glee’s Lea Michele meets cute with a pajama-clad Ashton Kutcher. There’s Katherine Heigl in a familiar jilted-fiance role Sarah Jessica Parker as a fretful single mom and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges as the most laid-back cop in New York. Sofia Vergara and Hector Elizondo mine for cheap laughs with thick accents – his fake and hers real – and Jessica Biel and Josh Duhamel deftly mix beauty with blandness. Fans of awful music will delight in the sounds of Jon Bon Jovi straining against type to play a relevant pop musician.
The task of interweaving the various storylines is too great for Marshall and New Year’s Eve bears the distinct scent and stain of an editing-room bloodbath with plot holes so gaping that not even the brightest of celebrity smiles can obscure them. But that’s not the point – it never was. You should know better than to expect logic from a film that portrays 24-year-old Efron and 46-year-old Parker as brother-and-sister without bothering to explain how such an apparent scientific miracle might have come to pass. Marshall wagers that by the time the ball drops and the film’s last melodramatic sequence has ended prior transgressions will be absolved and moviegoers will be content to bask in New Year's Eve's artificial glow. The gambit worked for Valentine's Day; this time he may not be so fortunate.

Modern Family has done wonders in the world of guest casting. The series has brought in television icons and A-list film stars to play hilarious, touching and all-around memorable roles. This season, we'll be getting two notable visitors to the Modern Family set. The first is Judd Apatow repeat-offender Leslie Mann, who will play, curiously enough, a love interest for Cam...in an effort to prove he can pass for straight, Cam sets out to woo Mann's character (probably to explosive and hysterical results). Also joining the show as a new neighbor to the Dunphys will be standup comedian Kevin Hart. gave Phil and Claire a new neighbor, it was in the form of Philip Baker Hall—he gave a stellar performance as an elderly grouch who forms an unlikely friendship with the youngest Dunphy, Luke. Who knows what kind of effect Hart's character, stated to be a doctor, will have on the family...or what effect they (especially the incurably wacky Phil) will have on him? Modern Family airs Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. -TVLine, EW
The Closer's final season is chock full of welcome guest stars. Weeds alum Elizabeth Perkins and omnipresent funnyman Fred Willard have both been mentioned to play guest roles in the past, but the latest news revolves around Sunset Beach star Jason George. George's character, Marvin Evans, is a wealthy businessman who might have indirect connections to the murder of Terrell Baylor. George also had a recurring role on Grey's Anatomy. The Closer will pick up the second half of its final season on Nov. 28 on TNT. George's episode will air on Monday, Dec. 26. -EW
Cedric the Entertainer is no stranger to television roles. He started his career as a supporting character (or two) on The Steve Harvey Show. He also lent his voice to the animated series The Proud Family. And most recently, he enjoyed a lively guest role on the Betty White-starring TBS series Hot in Cleveland as a musical preacher. It looks like this role was hardly a waste, as Cedric the Entertainer will star in a Hot in Cleveland spinoff series as this character. Cedric's minister's (who is proficient in the musical stylings of R&amp;B) series is in production. -AOLTV

More news from the corner of casting: some very familiar names will be making guest appearances this coming season. But we can also get excited about some of these stars' involvement behind the camera of their new shows:
Now that Friday Night Lights has been put to rest, executive producer Peter Berg (also recognizeable as a film and television actor) has time to explore other projects. The first of which will be Prime Suspect, NBC's new law enforcement drama. Berg is slated to be an EP on the new series, but he'll also be enjoying a guest role as a former lover to star Maria Bello's character Jane. Berg's character will also a be a deputy chief and will be married. Prime Suspect premieres on NBC this Thursday, September 22, at 10 p.m. ET. -EW
Fox's bubbly new sitcom New Girl, starring the you've-got-a-sickness-if-you-don't-love-her Zooey Deschanel will be welcoming two notable guest stars: Lake Bell of Boston Legal and, presently, How to Make it In America and the hilarious Childrens Hospital will play a love interest for the good-hearted character Nick (Jake Johnson). Additionally, Natasha Lyonne (Jess in American Pie, American Pie 2, and the upcoming American Reunion) will enjoy a love-hate relationship with another of Deschanel's character's new roommates, Schmidt (Max Greenfield). New Girl premieres tonight on Fox at 9 p.m. ET/PT. -TVLine
Elizabeth Perkins started off Big and worked her way to the scene-stealing Celia in Weeds, and will now be joining The Closer as the troublesome wife of the LAPD commissioner, who stirs up controversy when she involves herself in a scandal. The Closer returns to TNT on Monday, Nov. 28. -AOL TV

Portrayed a cancer patient who forms a bond with William Hurt's title character in "The Doctor"

Played Sandra Bullock's beleaguered older sister in "28 Days"

Appeared in "Crazy in Alabama", directed by Antonio Banderas

Breakthrough feature role as the toy company co-worker of Tom Hanks in "Big"

TV series debut as regular, playing the captain of a police precinct in the short-lived NBC sitcom "Battery Park"

Summary

Best known for her Emmy-nominated role as Celia Hodes on Showtime's dark comedy "Weeds" (2005- ), Elizabeth Perkins enjoyed a career of steady work in films including "Big" (1988) and "The Flintstones" (1994), before finally snaring her big critical breakthrough on the small screen at the age of 45. Perkins was a seasoned stage actress in both New York City and Chicago and a regular supporting player in some well-received films like "About Last Night" (1986), but her appearances in a growing number of made-for-TV movies seemed likely to snuff out the potential of the woman who was named Screen World's "Most Promising Actress" in 1986. Perkins beat the odds in 2005 with "Weeds;" finally being given the opportunity to showcase her range and her wicked wit.

Education

Name

DePaul University

Center For Advanced Film Studies, American Film Institute

Northfield Mount Hermon School

Notes

"I'm not beautiful in today's Hollywood sense. I'm not blonde. I'm not svelte. I don't have the long wavy hair, and sex isn't what I use to sell my characters. Instead, I'm strong, I'm forceful, and I'm pretty smart." - Perkins quoted in Us Weekly, March 7, 1991

"If I could do it over, I'd become a writer instead of an actress. I love acting, but I hate being in the public eye, so there is always a conflict. I love to walk out on stage or in front of a camera, but that's the only part of it that I like. I hate premieres and having my picture taken. I'm very solitary." - Perkins to Cheryl Lavin of the Chicago Tribune, Sept. 29, 1997

In 2005, Perkins learned that she had latent autoimmune diabetes, a form of type I diabetes that is most often diagnosed in middle age.